[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] on Friday rejected a request by former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] for provisional release [JURIST report] so that he might receive medical treatment in Russia. In the decision [text], the ICTY said they did not feel comfortable temporarily releasing Milosevic because they were not satisfied that he would return to face the remainder of his trial. Milosevic argued that it is necessary for him to return to Russia to receive medical treatment for a serious heart condition, but prosecutors said that once in Russia, Milosevic may claim that he is too ill to return for trial.

The court agreed that doctors could provide care for Milosevic in the Netherlands where he is currently on trial on 66 counts [ICTY case backgrounder] of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes stemming from conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the 1990s. The trial has lasted for four years, and is expected to end this year [JURIST report]. If convicted, Milosevic faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Reuters has more.